Always
by waitingforyouonce
Summary: An amnesiac Stefan wants nothing to do with his past life until he sees a picture of a certain witch and he starts to remember very important details about his relationship with her. Stefan/Bonnie
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I was in the process of writing updates for my stories when my laptop started acting up. Thankfully I managed to backup up everything on an external hard drive so I didn't lose anything. The bad news is I won't have regular access to a computer which means my updates will be delayed. **

**The good news is when I was backing up my files, I came across something I had initially been planning for Stefonnie week back in November. Since that's actually finished for the most part, I figured I would post that until I have the chance to update my other stories. Here's the first half of it and I plan to have to second half of this up the next time I have access to a computer.  
**

* * *

Waking up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how you got there is frightening enough. However, waking up with a stranger staring down at you is downright terrifying. Thankfully the stranger had been his brother and had shown up to help him. Damon had been shocked when he realized that not only did Stefan not remember any of the people he was introduced to but he also didn't remember being a vampire.

Stefan hadn't wanted to believe him at first, but when he suddenly grew hungry and nearly depleted Damon's stash of blood, he realized it was true. After that Damon tried everything he could think of to jog his memories. He introduced him to Elena and Caroline, hoping that his relationships with them would help him remember, but it hadn't. He however does have to admit that Caroline did manage to help him get his intake of blood on track.

As for Elena, she has spent the day taking him around town to their favorite spots, hoping that something will stick and his memories will return. It's been several hours and despite her efforts to jog his memory, he still feels no connection to her or any of the places she's taken him to. Having grown frustrated and bothered by the distraught look on her face, he grabs her by the shoulders and hauls her against him. He only does so because he hopes that kissing her will somehow bring back his feelings for her, but before his lips connect to hers she pulls away.

"I can't…. I'm with Damon." She looks away guilty, knowing she should have told him the truth before now.

"You're dating my brother?" Stefan furrows his eyebrows, surprised by the development. "Then why have you been taking me around town reminiscing about our relationship?" He asks angrily.

"I hoped it would jog your memory."

"So how exactly did you go from me to Damon? I'm going to go out on a limb and assume I wasn't too happy about it."

"No you weren't." She admits. "But things hadn't been working between us for a while. And there were always underlying feelings between me and Damon. We didn't start dating until months after our breakup." Elena lets the half truth slip out, hoping he takes it at face value. While it's true she and Damon only became a couple several months after her breakup with Stefan, she still hasn't told him the entire truth.

"You're lying."Stefan narrows his eyes at her. Despite not knowing her he can sense that she's not telling him the truth. "There's more to it than that isn't it? I think after wasting my time all day you owe me the truth. Why did we really break up?" He pins her with an angry and intense gaze.

"Okay." Elena sighs resignedly, knowing that when she tells Stefan what really happened he'll want nothing to with her or Damon. Again.

* * *

**11 Months Ago**

"Where is he?" Elena wonders out loud as she paces back and forth in Stefan's bedroom. She's been here waiting for Stefan for hours and he has yet show up. She doesn't understand how he could do this on today of all days. It's the anniversary of her parents' deaths and he was supposed to be taking her out so she wouldn't have to think about it. Yet he's several hours late and she's beginning to think he won't show up at all. Sighing, she walks over and takes a seat deciding to give another twenty minutes before she goes home.

The moment Damon makes it up the stairs he senses her distress immediately. He knows it partially because of the sire bond, but it's mostly because of his feelings for her. He has been able to pick up on her feelings for years now and right now he can tell she's a wreck.

When he stands in the threshold he can see that she's sitting on Stefan's bed, trying her hardest not to cry. The sight of her distressed face makes him want to snap his brother's neck for not being here. He exhales several times to get his anger in check and decides that he'll be here for her today since his brother has decided to flake. Without any hesitation he walks into his brother's room and immediately sits down on the bed next to her. He doesn't say anything; instead he waits for her to say what's on her mind, knowing she'll open up when she's ready.

"Stefan never showed up." She says softly after several minutes of silence. "He knows how important today is for me, but he never showed up or even called."

"I'm sorry." He slides closer to her so their legs touch each other. He knows how difficult the anniversary of her parents' death is for her.

"Why are you apologizing?" Elena glances at in confusion. "You're not the one that stood me up."

"Yeah, but I still hate seeing you hurt this way." He hugs her tightly, feeling warmth when she returns it.

"You're always here for me when I need you." She smiles against his chest.

"And I always will be."He smiles and tightens his hold on her. Damon can't help but wonder what possible reason Stefan could have for standing Elena up when he knows how vulnerable she's been since she's become a vampire. When she looks up from his chest all he can think of is their last kiss and how he wants the chance to do it again. So he lifts his hand and tucks his thumb and index finger under her chin before slowly turning her face to so their gazes are meeting.

Elena feels a jolt of arousal when she sees the heat in his eyes and quickly decides to indulge in it for once instead holding back like she has been. The moment Damon leans down and presses his lips to hers, they both become overwhelmed with the attraction they had been trying their hardest to suppress.

Damon groans into her mouth as he pushes her back on the bed, his body covering hers. All he can think about is getting as close to Elena as possible.

-X-

Stefan glances at Bonnie as they make their to the lake house, slightly awed by how determined she seems. Ever since Jeremy has become a vampire hunter, he's wanted to kill every vampire he comes in contact with, including Elena. Bonnie has been searching through every grimoire or magic related books for a way to temper his urges. Jeremy hasn't exactly been all that receptive and several times Bonnie's had to use her powers on him, yet she is still here trying to help him. Even though she really has no obligation or reason to.

"What?" Bonnie looks back at Stefan slightly self conscious, when he continues to stare at her silently.

"I have to admit I'm a little surprised that you're willing to go out of your way to help Jeremy after what happened." He says thinking of Jeremy's cheating incident. He'd been surprised when he found out about what happened and not for the first time has been questioning the younger Gilbert's intelligence. Because no one in their right mind would have the chance to be with a girl like Bonnie and then throw it away the way Jeremy did.

"I guess it's like you and Damon in a way."Bonnie shrugs breaking him out of his thoughts. They stop walking as they get closer to the door. "I may not be Jeremy's biggest fan at the moment and I may hope a certain lower appendage of his is struck with an itchy rash or something," The two share a laugh. "That doesn't mean I want anything to happen to the idiot and it will if he continues to go after every vampire he comes across."

Stefan nods in agreement, knowing that Elena in particular has had to avoid coming home in fear of Jeremy trying to kill her. "How long do you think it will take for this to work? Normally I wouldn't be in such a rush, but I have to meet Elena. Today's the—"

"The anniversary of her parents' death, I know."Bonnie nods solemnly, knowing how difficult the day is for Elena. She imagines now that she's a vampire and her emotions her enhanced, it will be even worse. "It shouldn't take long at all. I'll give him a potion and we should know immediately whether or not he's able to control is the urge to kill. If it doesn't work I'll go back to the drawing board for another solution."

Bonnie turns to face the door and knocks, waiting for Jeremy to open the door. He doesn't respond so she knocks harder and longer. After several more tries she closes her eyes and tries to sense his presence. After a few moments, worry and fear flow through when she fails to sense him.

"That's weird he knew we were supposed to meet today, but I'm not sensing him at all." She looks at Stefan. "Are you sensing anything?"

Stefan uses his enhanced senses to listen for Jeremy's heartbeat, but he gets nothing. "No I don't sense him either." They look at each other, the concern evident on both of their faces.

"If you're looking for the hunter he's not here." A voice says from the shadows interrupting their silent pondering.

They turn toward the voice and are surprised to see a scrawny vampire looking back at them. One minute the vampire is standing and the next he's on his knees clutching his head in pain. The pain lessens, but before he is able to get to his feet Stefan is grabbing him by the collar.

"What did you do to him?" Bonnie glares at the vampire.

"Wait, wait… it's not what you think I didn't hurt him." The vampire pleads frantically, knowing that being in the Bennett witch or the Ripper's crosshairs would not be a good thing.

"Then what are you doing here?" Bonnie lifts her hand threateningly.

"I was waiting for someone in your group to show up so I could tell you what happened."

"Explain." Stefan lets go of the vampire's collar causing him to crash to the ground.

He exhales and slowly stands up before looking back at the two of them. "The hunter attacked the vampire crew I was a part of. He killed most of them, including the leader."

"If that's true than why are you still alive?" Stefan can tell he's a young vamp that Jeremy could easily take out.

"He let me go and said that he would hunt me down later. Said that he had a stronger and more important person to take out. "

"Klaus?" Bonnie and Stefan ask simultaneously, hoping he wouldn't be that stupid despite already knowing the answer to that question.

"Yeah. " The vampire confirms with a nod. "It's suicidal; everyone knows how dangerous Klaus is. That's why I came back here so I could tell you who probably has him."

"Why would you want to help him after he killed your crew?" Stefan briefly glances at Bonnie who is obviously wondering the same thing.

"Because I was only a part of their crew because I was compelled by the leader. The hunter killing him and the other's finally got me my freedom. Even though those weren't his intentions, I wanted to help him the way he helped me. I figured the least I could do was tell one of you who took him." He glances between Bonnie and Stefan. "Can I go now?"

Stefan looks at Bonnie for affirmation and once she nods, he relents. "You can go, but I would advise you to get out of town. Until he gets his urges under control he'll likely be looking to finish you off." Normally he would leave well enough alone, but he can tell the vampire wouldn't likely make it out of another confrontation alive.

"Don't worry I'm out of here." He gives them both a nod before walking away.

The two watch until he's out of their line of vision before turning back to each other. "Looks like we're going to have another run in with Klaus." Bonnie says the moment her eyes meet Stefan's.

"No, there's no way that's happening. I'll go by myself." He shakes his head, not wanting to risk Bonnie's life that way. He just hopes Klaus isn't in too of a spiteful mood today so he can get Jeremy out quickly.

"After the last year there is no way I'm letting you go there by yourself." Bonnie disagrees, her voice leaving no room for argument. "You're far too vulnerable around him. You've finally managed to come back from the compulsion and losing your emotions. There's no way we're risking that happening again." She looks up at him her eyes sparkling with emotion.

"I didn't know you cared so much." Stefan smiles in surprise. Despite his apology for the mess with Abby and the renewal of their friendship, he wouldn't blame her at all if she still hated his guts. So for her to actively worry about his well being warms his heart.

"You're okay." She jokes before sobering up. "Besides I'm the only one who's come close to taking him out. I may not be able to kill him, but I can handle him. All we need to do is get Jeremy out of this alive. Are you in or are we both going on our own?" She tilts her head in question.

"I'm in." He nods before they both rush to his car.

-X-

By the time Damon comes to his senses, he's hard and naked with Elena equally naked underneath him. His cock is right up against her entrance, but he hasn't pushed inside of her yet. Despite how far they've gone they could stop now and things could go back to normal. But when he opens his eyes to protest and finds Elena staring up at him, he sees the fire that he feels for her reflected in her eyes. And instead of pulling away from her and telling her it was a mistake, he thrusts inside of her.

Damon knows that by making this decision he's effectively ruined his relationship with his brother, but as Elena's walls clench around him and he moves in and out of her, he can't bring himself to care.

-X-

"He's alive, I can sense him." Stefan says the moment they stop at the mansion. On the drive over they decided to approach Klaus head on, knowing sneaking around would get them nowhere. He sighs and gets out of the car.

"That's good, I was a little afraid that he wouldn't be." Bonnie says as she gets out of the car as well.

"I wouldn't put it past Klaus, but he would have less to gain if he killed Jeremy." He walks over to Bonnie and stands in front of her. "Which means we have to be prepared for—" He stops speaking when he sees the stricken look in Bonnie's eyes.

"Stefan, you have—" Bonnie's eyes widen when she sees what she can only assume is a vervain dart sticking out of his neck. However before she can finish the rest of her sentence she begins to feel drowsy as well.

"Bonnie, there's a—" Stefan starts to say when he sees a tranquilizer dart sticking out of her neck, but stops speaking abruptly when he starts to feel the effects of the vervain flowing through his system.

Bonnie falls forward into his arms and despite his increasing descent into unconsciousness still manages to hold onto her as he falls to the ground, taking the brunt of the fall himself.

"Did he seriously just catch her in his arms before he passed out?" One of Klaus' hybrids asks from a few feet away. In her hand is a vervain dart gun.

"That's Stefan forever the martyr." Rebekah scoffs as she looks down at the couple wrapped around each other on the ground. "I've always hated that about him." She hands the tranquilizer gun she used on the witch to that same hybrid before turning toward the two hybrids standing behind her. "Take them inside."

The two hybrids nod and immediately do as she says, each lifting a body into their arms.

-X-

The bed whines as Damon pounds Elena from behind. Elena gasps surprised by the amount of pleasure he's giving her. She always been afraid to try having sex anally in fear that would be painful, but Damon is proving those fears to be unfounded.

Damon growls become feral as he moves inside of her, loving the way she screams out her enjoyment. If he's honest there is a part of him that is proud that he's experiencing something his brother hasn't. That he is able to mark her this way. That no matter what happens; he'll always have been there first.

-X-

Stefan wakes up to find himself in room he doesn't recognize at first. As his senses clear it becomes obvious that this is Klaus' basement. Sitting up cautiously, he looks around the room and spies Jeremy on the ground, unconscious but still alive. It's clear that he's also been dosed with something. Beside him he hears Bonnie groan and he turns his gaze to her, watching as she slowly comes to as well.

"Are you okay, Bonnie?" He moves his hand to her cheek, searching for any injuries.

"I think so. What about you?" She brushes off his hand, slightly self-conscious about him touching her.

"I'm fine."

"Enough with the pathetic small talk." Rebekah's voice calls out impatiently. She had been greatly annoyed when the pair had woken up and immediately asked the other's well being.

Stefan and Bonnie both turn toward the voice and are not at all surprised to find Rebekah and Klaus looking down at them. Stefan quickly stands up when he sees the amused look in Klaus' eyes, knowing a playful Klaus is a dangerous Klaus.

"Why'd you bring us here?" Stefan asks as he helps Bonnie to her feet.

"I apologize for the theatrics, but you left me no choice since you two insisted on blazing in here like white knights." He grins. "Besides, sometimes rendering powerful supernatural beings unconscious and tossing them into a dark basement can be fun."

"Cut the crap." Bonnie snaps impatiently. She really hates how wordy he tends to get. "Just get to the point."

"Fine." Klaus sighs as though she's the one annoying him. "I need a favor."

"You did all of this just to get us to do you a favor." Stefan growls, the veins in his face showing up.

"What makes you think we'd even help you?" Bonnie's brow furrows in surprise at the question.

"You will if you want to get him out of this alive." Klaus glances at Jeremy who is still unconscious across the room before looking at Rebekah. The woman in question silently grabs Jeremy by the neck and bites into him.

Bonnie and Stefan both take a step forward, intending on making a move, but Klaus' voice stops them cold.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." His gaze is fixed on Bonnie who has her hand raised. "You really think I wouldn't have the foresight to protect my home from witch attacks? Especially after our previous encounters?" He turns to Stefan "And Stefan, I could very easily compel you again. Maybe this time I'll have you focus your attention on the witch. I bet Bonnie would be very interested to know some of the thoughts you've had about her. I know I was surprised when I looked inside your head while you two were unconscious."

"What do you want?" Stefan growls, when he feels Bonnie stiffen next to him. While his inner thoughts about Bonnie have always been more hedonistic than murderous, he knows she would still be uncomfortable regardless.

"I know you've looking for the cure Elena's vampirism." He grins when they both avert their eyes. "I want in on that. That means I'll be in the loop with anything major that happens. The truce we've made"

"We aren't even sure that it really exists." While it's true they have been looking for a cure to help Elena, so far they've come up with nothing and Stefan has started to wonder if such cure actually exists.

"According to a source of mine it does exist and you two are my best bet to find it. It seems there is you both have some kind of connection to the person that invented the cure in the first place." The professor Klaus talked to hadn't exactly been all that forthcoming initially, but once Klaus cut off his hand, he was willing to spill everything. The look on the professor's face when his hand came flying off had been good, but it still hadn't topped the look on the man's face right before he died.

"What is that supposed mean?"

"Come now, love." He looks at Bonnie. "You don't really expect me to feed you all the information?" Klaus laughs wickedly. "If you want to know, you're going to have to do some research of your own. Now do we have an agreement or do I leave my lovely sister here to her meal?"

Stefan briefly look at Jeremy who is slowly being drained before looking at Bonnie. They come to a silent agreement before they both turn back to a waiting Klaus. "We have an agreement."

"Great!" He turns back to Rebekah and snaps his finger. The original immediately loosens her hold on Jeremy, letting him crumple to the floor. Immediately the two rush over to Jeremy, Bonnie watching as Stefan gives Jeremy some of his blood to heal.

When they hear a throat clear, both their gazes shoot to Klaus, who has a calm look on his. "You're free to go now, but don't think of crossing me because neither of you will like the outcome if you do." He gives them one last smile before he and Rebekah leave the basement.

Bonnie and Stefan sigh, hoping that making a deal with devil won't come back to haunt them.

-X-

Elena moans as Damon kisses a trail down her body. The moment he gets to her center, he moves his mouth against her as slowly as possible. He knows that after they leave this bed he might not get another chance to taste her. So he takes his time and relishes in her taste. He hopes once he's finished tasting her he can persuade her to reciprocate.

-X-

After leaving the mansion, they drop Jeremy off with Matt so the there's someone around to keep him out of trouble for the time being. He tries to call Elena, but it goes straight to voicemail. At first he wonders if she's purposely screening his call, but when Bonnie tries and gets the same thing he knows it's definitely turned off. He can only assume that she's mad at him, but considering what just happened he can't really think about it right now.

Because of Klaus' threat, they decide that it would be best for them to get started with their research as right away. So after dropping Jeremy off, they come back to the boardinghouse since the Salvatore's have an extensive collection of books.

When they finally make their way to the boardinghouse, it's close to sunrise. "Maybe we should hold off on this." He suggests when they both take a seat on the couch. "So you can get some sleep, you must be exhausted."

"There's no way I'll be able to sleep right now." Bonnie shakes her head. "It's better we try to figure out what Klaus meant while it's still fresh in our minds.

"Well I have a book on my dresser that should help us get started. I can go get it." He moves to stand up.

"That's okay, I'll go get it. I really need to stretch my legs after being cooped up for so long."

"And I'll go make some coffee in the meantime." He smiles at her warmly, widening it when she smiles back.

As Bonnie walks up the stairs and down the hall leading to Stefan's room, she senses another presence and assumes it is Elena at first considering what day it is. Her jaw drops when she spots Elena and Damon completely naked on Stefan's bed. The two vampires are going at it without a care in the world and based on their growls and moans they are definitely enjoying themselves. So far neither vampire has sensed they are no longer alone, but she knows it's only a matter of time before Stefan comes looking for her.

Oh god Stefan_. _Bonnie frowns, her heart aching for him. How could they do this to him? The two people that he should be able to trust the most have betrayed him. She'd known that things between Elena and Damon weren't entirely platonic. That underneath the surface there was some repressed feelings, but she always assumed they would only cross the line if Elena and Stefan were no longer together. So to come across the two of them right now in Stefan's bed of all places, infuriates her.

When she hears Elena's moan of pleasure, she grows tired of waiting for them to realize they are no longer alone. So she clears her throat, loudly. Freezing abruptly, the two vampires turn to face the doorway and are surprised to see Bonnie standing there with her arms folded across her chest. They immediately separate from each other, but make no move to get out of the bed.

"Bonnie, what are you doing here?" Elena asks when Bonnie continues to glare at both her and Damon.

"I came to get this." She walks over to the dresser and picks up the book Stefan asked her to get. "Definitely wasn't expecting the show." She snorts in disgust.

"Well maybe you next time you'll be smart enough to knock when you decide to come in other people's rooms. You never know what you're going to see." Damon snarls at her, angry that his time with Elena has been interrupted. He doubts she'll be eager to continue this after witch finally leaves.

"You're right." Bonnie begins sarcastically. "Despite the fact that the door is wide open, I should have totally expected to walk in and find you fucking your brother's girlfriend in his bed." Bonnie stops herself from knocking Damon on his ass like she wants to.

Neither vampire says anything, making it obvious that they are just now thinking about what they did to Stefan. Elena immediately jumps out of the bed; wrapping the sheet around her while Damon shifts so his feet are on the floor.

"You know I sort of expect this from you. You've made it clear that you would go after her if you were given the opportunity." She looks at Damon who finally climbs out of the bed before turning her gaze back on Elena. "But I never thought you would do something like this to Stefan. Why even pick him in the first place if you were just going to end up in Damon's arms?"

"We were supposed to go out on a date, but he never showed up. He knows how difficult the anniversary of my parents' death is. It's ten times worse now that I'm a vampire, but he was too selfish to be there for me. Damon was here when I needed him. Like always and we got carried away..."She trails off when sees the anger in Bonnie's eyes.

Damon sees it too and lashes out due to his guilt. "I can see it in your eyes that you want to tell my brother about this, but I would keep your mouth shut if I were you. This is none of your business"

"Damon." Elena gently admonishes before turning her attention back to Bonnie. She knows making threats will do more harm than good with Bonnie. "I know you two have come to an understanding, but please don't tell Stefan about this." Elena pleads with her. "This would break his heart."

"Well I doubt I will be able to keep this kind of secret for very long, especially since Stefan's right downstairs."

"He is?" Elena stiffens while Damon swears under his breath behind her.

"How else do you think I knew exactly where to look for this?" She holds up the book in her hand. "It's not like I've ever spent any time in his room."

"Bonnie, are you okay? I figured you would be back by…." Stefan's voice trails off when in addition to Bonnie, he spies a half naked Damon and Elena close to his bed. He closes his eyes hoping that he's seeing things, but that sadly is not the case. Their clothes are spread out on the floor and he can smell the mixture of their scents in the air. Not to mention the looks of guilt both are sporting.

"Stefan—"Elena attempts to plead, but he cuts her off.

"How could you do this? Why say you want to be with me, if that wasn't true?"He stares at her, the hurt palpable. "I would have understood if you'd chosen Damon. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have respected you for being honest. Instead you fuck my brother in my bed!"

"I was upset. I needed you and you weren't there for me. Even after I told you how difficult last night usually is." Elena tries to explain as tears roll down her face. "Damon was there to listen and keep me company."

"Well he can keep you company for good because from this moment on I want nothing to do with you."

Elena cries grow louder and Damon chooses that moment to wipe her tears away.

Bonnie manages to suppress a growl, knowing that Damon's little move will likely set Stefan off. Her prediction is right and in a flash Stefan he's standing right in front of Damon, trying his best not grab him by the neck.

"You just couldn't help yourself could you, Damon? You just had to go after her!" Stefan snarls, leaving Bonnie to wonder if she'll need to break up a fight tonight. Elena stands there quietly, not quite sure what to do.

"Not my fault that you're a poor excuse for a boyfriend. Unlike you, I'm the one that's been here for Elena." Damon's expression darkens as well and Bonnie can tell whatever his next words are won't be any better. "And it's not like she wasn't just as willing."

"You told me that you were going to make my life miserable. I guess this was the best way to do it."

"This has nothing to do with that and you know it!" Damon spits, annoyed that Stefan brought up the stupid threat he'd made when he first returned to Mystic Falls. "I don't appreciate you acting like my feelings for her aren't as real as yours. If anything they are better because I'll never take her for granted like you have." He gets in Stefan's face. "Where the fuck were you when she was crying her eyes out last night?"

Stefan opens his mouth to tell them about Jeremy, but decides not to because they still had no qualms about betraying him. "You know what? You two can have each other. I'm done!" He rushes out of the room before anyone else can move.

The moment he's gone, Elena begins to pull on the rest of her clothing while Damon watches her.

"I should go." Bonnie says after a few moments of awkward silence. She heads to the door only to stop when she gets to the threshold. "By the way…" She begins as she turns to face them. "…the reason the guy that you claim is so selfish never showed up was because we spent the night being held hostage by Klaus and Rebekah after trying to get your brother out of the mess he made."

"What are you talking about?" Elena's gaze snaps back to Bonnie.

"Jeremy took it upon himself to try and take out the two of them by himself. We figured out what he was doing and planned to go after him, but Klaus had his hybrids shoot us with tranquilizer darts. We spent the night trapped in his basement until he finally decided to let us go. Matt's keeping an eye on Jeremy right now." She relishes in the guilty looks that appear on their faces before turning back around and leaving as well.

The moment she leaves, Elena breaks down into sobs and Damon immediately wraps her arms around her. Both allowing the knowledge that while they were betraying Stefan he was out helping one of their own to eat at them.

* * *

**Present**

"So much for you and Damon not getting together until months after we broke up." Stefan glares when Elena is finished talking. "Why the hell have you been lying to me?"

"I wasn't sure how to tell you about what happened. You were already so distant we didn't want to make it worse."

"What you really mean is, you were afraid I wouldn't want anything to do with you." He glares. "You're right, I don't want anything to do with either of you and I don't want to be in this waste of a town." He turns to walk away.

"Stefan, you can't continue walking around without your memories." She steps in from of him to block his exit. "It's not safe."

"Why should I listen to you? It's clear you're not thinking about my best interests. If you were you wouldn't have spent the day lying to me." He glares at her before pushing past her and walking away.

Elena watches him go with a frown on her face.

-X-

The moment he makes it to the boardinghouse, he packs some of his things to take with him. Before he leaves town however, he decides to say goodbye to Caroline.

"I see Elena told you about Damon." She deduces the moment she sees the look on Stefan's face. She'd told Elena and Damon that misleading Stefan that way could back fire, but neither had listened. Now Stefan will be even harder to reach

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it would be better coming from them." Caroline admits. "How are you doing with all this?"

"I'm fine." He reassures her. "It actually explains why I feel no connection to Elena. I tried, you know. To jog my memories, but I guess even subconsciously, I knew things weren't quite right. Now that I know, I've decided to leave town for a while."

"But what about your memories. How are you going to get them back if you leave?"

"Maybe I don't want them back. I haven't heard anything good about my life so far. Maybe it's better for me to have a fresh start without being plagued with old feelings."

"What about the good things you've experienced? I know it doesn't seem like it, but you have had some good times. I know I can't stop you from leaving, but I hope you'll consider reconsider not wanting your memories back. Just think about while you're gone. Okay?"

"Okay," He agrees.

"And hey maybe while you're gone something will trigger your memories and they end up coming back on their own." She smiles softly.

"Maybe." Stefan agrees half-heartedly, he can't see anything being strong enough to trigger his memories. "Before I go. I do have one question though." He continues when she gestures for him to continue. "Who's Bonnie?" He remembers getting this weird feeling when Elena mentioned that particular name. He would have asked Elena, but figured Caroline would be more forthcoming about her.

"She's best friends with me and Elena. Why?" Bonnie had been the last thing she expected him to ask about.

"Elena mentioned her when she told me what happened with her and Damon. I just wondered who she was since no one has mentioned her. Based on what Elena said I take it she's a witch?"

"Yeah, a really powerful one. I guess we didn't mention her because she's been out of town for the last few months spending time with her mother. We figured it would be wiser to focus on the people that are actually in Mystic Falls right now. I have a picture of her if you want to see what she looks like." She moves to her dresser and picks up a picture to give him.

When he takes the picture he sees that it's a picture of Caroline and Elena with a beautiful green eyed woman that he can only assume is the woman in question. The second his eyes focus on Bonnie he feels a jolt that makes every part of him including his brain stand at attention. He closes his eyes as his mind flashes to a memory of some kind.

_Gasps and growls fill the candlelit bedroom as bodies that are slick with sweat move together. Stefan's eyes roll in the back of his head as he moves in and out of Bonnie, her walls squeezing him tightly. Bonnie's back arches as he moves above her, the pleasure flowing through her body.  
_

_"Never stop loving me." He pleads against her mouth before pulling away to stare into her eyes. Being with Bonnie has been the best thing that's ever happened to him and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her._

_"I won't." She answers back, her eyes bright with emotion._

_The couple share a smile as they continue to move hard and fast against each other, their focus only on one another_.

"Stefan?" Caroline's voice brings Stefan out of his thoughts. "You zoned out on me. Are you okay?"

"What exactly is my relationship with Bonnie?" Stefan asks suddenly, surprising Caroline.

"You guys are friends, but I have to admit you two aren't exactly close." Caroline's brow furrows in confusion before a thought occurs to her. "Did you remember something about her? Is that why you're asking about Bonnie?

"No, I was just curious." Stefan shakes his head in denial. He had been planning on telling Caroline about the memory he just had, but when she revealed his true relationship with Bonnie he realized that it might not be a memory after all. That maybe it was just a vision of what he wanted to do to Bonnie when he laid eyes on her picture. Since he knows that wouldn't go over very well with Caroline, he decides to keep it to himself.

"You're acting kind of strange. Are you sure you're okay?" Caroline steps closer to Stefan.

"Yeah I'm okay." Stefan answers after a brief hesitation. I should go." He says as he makes his way to the door. "I'll keep in touch."

* * *

**Outside of Mystic Falls - Later that Night**

Hours later, Stefan is asleep in the hotel room he rented for the night, the long day he had finally catching up with him. The moment he falls asleep, his mind is bombarded with memories.

_"Hey beautiful." He calls out the moment he spots Bonnie outside of the school. She looks amazing in her blue prom dress. Stefan had known she would and it's been killing him that he couldn't acknowledge that in front of the others. He's been waiting all night for the chance to be alone with her. Something he'd begun to think was impossible with the way the others were monopolizing her time. _

_"Hey." She turns to face face him with a smile. "What are you doing out here?" She came outside to get some air after the whole Silas thing, but she figured that he would still be helping Damon with Elena.  
_

_"I wanted to check up on you and I also thought we could share a dance while we're out here." He steps closer to Bonnie who looks up at him in surprise._

_"But...I thought we agreed that..." She trails off in confusion. She and Stefan had agreed that between Jeremy's death and everything else that's been going on, that it would be best for them to keep their relationship a secret. Which is the reason they agreed they wouldn't attend prom together._

_"I've danced with both Elena and Caroline tonight, I think it's only right I get to dance with the person I actually want to dance with." He smiles hopefully as he holds out his hand for her to take. "So will you dance with me?"_

_"Okay." She nods happily and allows Stefan to pull her into his arms._

_-X-_

_"Stop trying to distract me." Bonnie looks up from the book she's looking through and glares at Stefan who happens to be sitting directly across from the table. She's been trying to focus on her research, but that's impossible with Stefan's gaze practically burning a hole in her.  
_

_"I'm not trying to distract you." Stefan denies it, though the mischievous look on his face says otherwise.  
_

_"Yeah right." She laughs not believing him one bit. "I can feel your eyes on me."_

_"Is it my fault that I happen to like looking at you?" He leans on the table to get closer to her, his eyes brightening when he realizes she's blushing.  
_

_"And you don't think your looking is distracting?" She gives him a knowing look._

_"Nope because If I was trying to distract you, I would do more than just look at you." He grins wickedly at her, purposely trailing his gaze down her body._

_-X-_

_"Are you awake?" Stefan asks softly as he cradles her in his arms. They are currently draped across Bonnie's couch, close enough that nearly every part of them is touching. For once they actually have a quiet evening to themselves and they decided to spend it watching tv on the couch._

_"Yeah, why?" Bonnie answers just as softly before pressing a kiss to his jaw._

_"I wanted to ask you something." Stefan begins nervously. He has no idea how she'll react to his question._

_"You know you can ask me anything." She gives him a reassuring smile._

_He returns her smile, grinning when she pressures her forehead against his chin. "I was wondering if you would spend the summer with me. No Damon, no Elena or anyone else. Just you and me for three months away from Mystic Falls."_

_Bonnie squirms uncomfortably in his arms at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "Are you still having trouble seeing them together?" Aside from that first night, they haven't really talked about Elena and Damon's betrayal. "Is that why you want to go away?"_

_"You mean because of what they did?"_

_"Yeah." She bites her lip, trying not come off as too anxious. She'd be lying if she said she never worried that what she and Stefan have is some kind of rebound relationship for him._

_Stefan sits up slightly when he feels the tension in her body but he decides not to comment on it. "I'll be honest and admit that I'm still hurt about what they did, but I've gotten to the point where I can wish them the best. So no us going away for the summer has nothing to do with them." His eyes sparkle with passion. "I love you and I want to spend as much time with you as possible with no interruptions. Something we both know is unlikely to happen if we stay in Mystic Falls."_

_"You're right. " Bonnie admits with a slight laugh. Trouble does have tendency to pop up in Mystic Falls whenever they think things are going well.._

He caresses her cheek. "So are you in?"

_"I'm in. I'll spend the summer with you" She smiles brightly before she relaxes against him and begins to stroke his collarbone with her fingers. _

_-X-_

_Bonnie rushes down the stairs when she hears her doorbell ring. She pulls the door open and is only halfway surprised to see Stefan at the door. He'  
_

_"I hope I'm not disturbing you" He says when he takes in her sweat pants. It's clear she had been planning on staying in. "I didn't know where else to go." Stefan looks at her sadly._

_"No, I'm glad you're here, I was worried about you." She gestures for him to come in and he does. She gestures toward her couch and they both take a seat.  
_

_"So how are you holding up?" Bonnie asks after several hours of silence. She knows Stefan had been expecting her to immediately talk about what happened at the boardinghouse earlier, but she figured he could use a few hours of silence to gather his thoughts. So the last few hours have been spent watching old movies on her been hurt when Jeremy cheated on her, but she imagines being betrayed by both your brother and girlfriend has to be even worse._

_"A little better I guess." Stefan Now I just have to figure out where I'm going to stay. There's no way I'm going back to the boardinghouse." _

_"You can stay here. No one ever comes here so you won't have to worry about running into anyone here. You're the only vampire I've ever invited in." Bonnie shrugs nonchalantly._

_"Why are you being so nice to me?" Stefan asks when he realizes just what him being the only vampire invited into her home means. "I've done horrible things to you. Things that you have every right to hold against me forever."  
_

_"I guess I'm sucker for punishment." She grins so he knows she's joking. He smiles back before she sobers up and admits the truth. "The truth is I'm struggling with my own broken heart and I figured it would be less lonely if you were around. You can stay for however long you need."_

Abruptly Stefan sits up in bed, gasping for air that he doesn't actually need. He remembers everything. Who he is, what's happened to him and more importantly his relationship with Bonnie.

Sadly with those thoughts he also remembers Silas revealing her death before he locked him in that safe. He also knows that based on his interactions with them while he still had amnesia no one back home has any idea what happened to her. A revelation that causes some slight rage, but right now his mind is focused on one thing and one thing only.

And that's finding a way to bring the woman he loves back to life.


	2. Chapter 2

"You wanna tell us why we're here, Blondie?" Damon asks when he and Elena make their way into the living room of the boardinghouse. The only thing he knows is that the blonde vampire called asking that he, Elena, Jeremy, and Matt all meet at the boardinghouse.

"Stefan called me and asked to get everyone together at the boardinghouse. That's all I know." She has to admit that she was just as curious when Stefan called her this morning and asked her to get everyone to the boardinghouse, but he wouldn't tell her anything.

"It's probably about his memories." Damon guesses, hoping that he's correct. He'd much rather be dealing with the version of his brother that has his memories than the amnesiac version.

"I don't know." Caroline disagrees. "I don't think he'd call everyone including Matt and Jeremy here just to tell us he got his memories back. I think it's something else."

The group silently begins to go over the possibilities when the door slams open and a feral looking Stefan walks in with murder in his eyes and speeds over to where Damon, Elena, and Jeremy are seated.

At first, they all assume that his anger is toward Damon, but they are surprised when he grabs Jeremy by the collar of and slams him against the nearest wall.

"What are you doing, let him go." Elena protests with a loud cry.

"Look I know you're still pissed about me and Elena, but you taking it out on Jeremy isn't right."

"You know about Bonnie don't you?" Stefan ignores their pleas and focuses his attention on Bonnie's ex-boyfriend. His eyes darken and his fangs come out when Jeremy's eyes widen in shock, letting Stefan know his suspicions are correct. "You've known this entire time and haven't done a damn thing. Why the hell haven't you said anything?" He snarls at the boy. "And we're supposed to believe you love her." He face goes back to normal before he lets Jeremy crumple to the floor.

Jeremy's groans in pain before standing back up. There is a part of him that wants to retaliate but deep down he knows that Stefan is right about him not

"What are you talking about? What about Bonnie?" Caroline moves closer to him, worry flooding her gut.

"Is she okay?" Elena asks just as worried.

"No she's not! She died bringing your brother back to life." Stefan's voice cracks slightly as he breaks the news.

An uncomfortable silence fills the room as each person takes in the news. Naturally Caroline, Matt, and Elena begin to cry at the realization Bonnie's been dead the entire time.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Damon asks in subdued voice. Had he known he could have done something about it. Fixed it somehow.

"She asked me not to say anything and she told me to send letters occasionally so none of you got suspicious." Jeremy looks away from the angry looks he's getting.

"No." Stefan shakes his head in denial. "She wouldn't do something that stupid…" Stefan starts to say when he realizes that it would be just like her to play the martyr and keep her death a secret. Still he knows that is definitely not the case this time around. She knows that he would have been looking for her and there is no way she would have allowed him to think she just ran off for the summer. "Okay she probably would, but I know for a fact that's not the case this time."

"How can you be so sure?" A teary Caroline chimes in.

"Silas. He must have pretended to be Bonnie to convince Jeremy to keep quiet." Stefan guesses.

"Why would you think that?" Elena asks in confusion, knowing that Bonnie has a tendency to martyr herself, making Jeremy's theory entirely plausible.

"He's the one that told me about Bonnie's death in the first place. Told me that her death was a caused the loophole that brought him back. He probably was afraid if Bonnie was brought back that he'd be right back where he was when she died. He knew the longer Bonnie was gone, the harder it would be to bring her back to life. So if he gets the one person who could reveal what actually happened to keep quiet, then it all works out." He explains. "Of course if any of you actually thought about anything other than yourselves during the summer his plan wouldn't have worked." Stefan finishes bitterly. He knows there was a point of time where he would have been just as guilty and he probably should cut them some slack, but right now he can't bring himself to feel bad for them. Not when the woman he loves isn't even alive.

Caroline, Elena and Matt all look away guiltily knowing that he's right. They had been so wrapped up in their own problems, they never thought to question why Bonnie hadn't contacted them once in the last four months.

"Why are you acting so self-righteous?" Damon glares angrily from his position next to Elena. "You may have an excuse because you were trapped underwater, but had you been around this summer, you would have been just as clueless about Bonnie as the rest of us.

"That's where you're wrong." He shakes his head. "If I were here, I would have known something wasn't right. I would have realized she was missing."

"Somehow I don't believe that." Damon protests, his brother normally spends so much time pining after Elena that nothing else catches his attention.

Matt looks down at Stefan's hands and is surprised to see them shaking. He knows right away that this isn't the behavior of guy that found out he lost a friend or ally; it's the behavior of a man that just lost the woman he loves and is trying his best not to break down. He knows it should come to a surprise to him, but for some reason it doesn't. In fact, it actually explains the lingering glances and smiles he noticed between them, but eventually decided was all in his head.

"Damon, maybe you should back off" Matt tries defuse the tension between the two brothers.

"Why should I?" Damon turns toward him. "He wants to act like he's so much better than the rest of us because Silas told him about the witch. I want to know why the hell he's so sure he would have known." He stands up, despite Elena's protests. "Why?" He demands loudly.

"Because we were in love!" He finally blurts out, shocking everyone in the room except Matt. "We were together for five months before all of this happened. We were going to spend the summer together." He glares at a flabbergasted Damon. "So I would have figured out something was wrong. I wouldn't have assumed she just went away for the summer."

"You've been dating my best friend? I can't believe you would do—"

"You do not get to be mad or hurt about this." Stefan interrupts with a growl. "Not after the way you and Damon happened. Not when Bonnie's not even alive." He glares at her and Elena nods and guiltily averts her gaze.

"So what are we going to do about Bonnie?" Caroline asks tearfully, wanting to shift them back to their fallen friend.

"I don't know what the rest of you are doing, but I'm going to find a way to bring her back. I refuse to live without her. I just thought you needed to know what was happening." He says before rushing out of the room, leaving the rest the group alone with their grief and guilt.

-X-

Qetsiyah grins as she makes several items float in the air of the cabin she staying in. Only to stiffen when she feels the presence of another and sees the handsome figure watching her silently. At first she assumes the man is Silas, but when sees the raw emotion in his eyes she realizes that it's actually his doppelganger.

"We need to talk, Qetsiyah." Stefan walks further into the cabin.

"I see you have your memories back. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to bring Bonnie back to life."

"Why should I do that?" Her eyes narrow at him surprised that he's the one pleading for Bonnie's life. She figured the moment they found out, that the doppelganger would be the one knocking on her door.

"Maybe because you're her family, because she's the reason you're even alive right now." Stefan points out.

"We may be family, but I'm here for one reason and one reason only and that's to get revenge for what happened years ago. Besides Bonnie's only in this mess because she once again put the needs of the doppelganger she considers her friend over her own. Now do you have a more compelling reason than that? If you don't you can leave."

"I love her!" He shouts suddenly. "I love her and I don't want to live without her. I won't live without her. She's done so much to help, even when she had no reason to. I think out of everyone she deserves to live her life the most." He looks at her unblinkingly, his eyes filled with emotion. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring her back. I don't care what I have to sacrifice for that to happen."

Qetsiyah stares back at him, shock unmistakable on her face. The last thing she'd been expecting was for Stefan to express his love for her descendent. After her own experience with Silas and Amara, she assumed that any doppelgangers that came after would be destined for each other. So to see Stefan deviate from that is a complete surprise for her.

"If I agree to this…"She begins after several minutes of silence. "… I'm going to need you to do a few things in return." She pauses as Stefan eagerly nods his agreement. "First, I want you to kill Silas." She's made several attempts herself, but so far Silas has managed to be step one step ahead of her, thwarting each attempt easily. If she didn't hate the bastard she would find his intelligence attractive, but right now it only fuels her hatred of him.

"Consider it done." Stefan says without needing to think about it. Not only did the bastard lock him in that safe, he also killed Bonnie's father and was a big reason no one thought to check up on Bonnie during the summer. So in his eyes Silas deserves what's coming to him. "What else do I have to do?"

"I'm also going to need some of your blood."

"My blood… why? You don't plan on turning her into a vampire do you?" He asks, slightly afraid of her answer. As much as he wants Bonnie back, he knows she would never want to be a vampire.

"No." She reassures him and he exhales in relief. "The spell I will be using to resurrect her is very complicated. Using your blood will enhance the spell and help bring her back to this side."

"But Bonnie's managed to bring Jeremy back twice now. Why is the process so different from what she did?"

"Bonnie's a witch, a very powerful one at that, so it will be much more of an effort to bring her back than it would for a regular human, but I do have to warn you, there will be consequences."

"Consequences like what?"

"Bonnie will still be a witch and everything that entails, but she will be linked to you. Your life-forces will be forever connected." She pauses, making sure he is taking in what she's saying. "This means, she'll never age and it will be nearly impossible to kill her. Finally and most importantly, know if you die she dies." She looks at Stefan and is surprised that she can no longer read him. "Do you still want to do this?"

Stefan says nothing; instead he lifts his wrist to his mouth and bites into it. "How much blood do you need?"

"About half a cup." She moves across the room to pick up a silver container and hands it to him. "You can use this."

Stefan nods and they both watch as his blood slowly drips into the container. Once he has enough, he stops the blood from flowing and hands the container to Qetsiyah.

"When will you do the spell?" Stefan asks when she secures the container in her mini fridge.

"After you kill Silas, call me so I'll know it's done."

"Looks like I have doppelganger to kill." Stefan says before sauntering out of the cabin.

-X-

Two weeks later Silas is dead and Qetsiyah is nowhere to be found. The moment he left Qetsiyah's cabin, he immediately found and killed Silas. After it was done, he called Qetsiyah to inform her and she told him she would get right on it.

He'd given her few days and when it still hadn't happened he dropped by the cabin, but all of her things had been gone. Calls to her were unanswered and he'd been unable to track her anywhere in the area. After a while he other's slowly came to the conclusion that Stefan had been played and began to plan a funeral for Bonnie. Despite this, Stefan refuses to give up, even going so far to protest attending the funeral. Which is why instead of getting ready for the funeral, Stefan is at the boardinghouse while Caroline tries her best to change his mind.

"I'm not going." Stefan folds his arms across his chest and plops down on the couch. If it weren't for the sad circumstances, he would almost seem petulant.

"Stefan, I know you were counting on Bonnie being brought back, but it's been over two weeks and that hasn't happened. I think you have to face facts and admit that Qetsiyah played you." She sits down next to Stefan. "You should be there for Bonnie's funeral."

"Going to that funeral would feel like I'm just giving up on getting her back."

"Maybe we all have to admit to ourselves the possibility that Bonnie may never be coming back" Caroline begins tearfully.

"What?" Stefan eyes darken with fury as he jumps out of his seat.

"It's the last thing I want believe me, but we are running out of options." She stands up as well and follows him across the room. "Qetsiyah was our best chance at getting Bonnie back and she took off. I'm just wondering how we'll be able to proceed from here."

"I'm not giving up on her." He shakes his head. "And I'm not going to that funeral. You do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do." He sits back down, making it clear he's made his decision.

"Okay, I understand." She nods her head after a long pause and slowly makes her way out of the room, leaving Stefan alone to ponder his thoughts.

He has no idea how much time has passed, but when he feels a sudden jolt, he blinks from his self induced trance. He sees something out of the corner of his eyes and when he moves his gaze to that direction, his senses become overwhelmed with emotion.

"Bonnie?" Stefan's eyes widen in surprise when he realizes the one person he wants to see is standing right in front of him.

"You can see me?" Bonnie looks at Stefan surprised that the man she loves is looking right at her. She's been watching him quite a bit the last few months and it had been hell not being able to touch or talk to him.

Today she hadn't been able to look in on him because of the funeral. The other's thoughts had been overwhelmingly centered on her. One minute she had been standing in the woods wondering why Stefan wasn't there and the next she was standing in the living room of the boardinghouse. At first she assumed he had been thinking about her, but once his gaze met hers she realized something was different about her.

Stefan jumps to his feet, rushes over to her and hauls her into his arms, holding her to his chest. She opens her mouth to speak, but he crushes his mouth to hers, taking her lips in a passionate and emotional kiss. Their lips move together frantically, both are afraid to pull away in fear that they'll be told this has all been a dream. Eventually air becomes an issue and Bonnie ends up pulling away, Stefan wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"Bonnie, I missed you so much. I was afraid I'd never see you—" He stops speaking as his voice cracks and instead presses his forehead against hers.

Bonnie's eyes widen when she sees the tears falling from his face. In response she wraps her arms her around him, holding on to him just as tightly with her own tears falling down her face. "I missed you too, Stefan."

He wipes at her tears before he gently cups her face in his hands and smiles down at her. She returns the smile and he begins pressing kisses to her forehead, her nose, her cheeks and chin before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She smiles and reaches up to caress his cheek with one of her hands. "Stefan, wait..." She moans as he begins attack her neck with kisses. She lets herself get distracted for a few seconds before she pushes him away so she can think more clearly. "We really need to talk." She wants nothing more to bask in the joy of being back in his arms, but she genuinely has no idea how or why she's alive again.

"Talk? Right now? I don't think so." Stefan shakes his head as he pulls her back into his arms. "I just got you back. The last thing I want to do right now is talk."

"I'm right there with you, but I don't know how this happened. I need to know how this happened." She makes it clear she expects nothing less.

"Okay." He nods before leading her to the couch.

-X-

"Where did Damon go?" Caroline asks as she Jeremy and Elena make their way into the boardinghouse. She knows Tyler volunteered to drop Matt off at his place since Matt hadn't been up to coming to boardinghouse. Damon however, ran off immediately after the funeral.

"He's looking for a way to bring Bonnie back. He's really going above and beyond." Elena smiles slightly as she thinks of Damon's efforts to resurrect Bonnie. If someone had told her a few months ago that Damon would be going out of his way to bring Bonnie back, she would have thought they were crazy.

"Unlike Stefan." Jeremy shakes his head as he thinks of the younger Salvatore. "I can't believe he didn't come to the funeral. That's the least he could have done to support Bonnie. Instead he sits around feeling sorry for himself." He snarls, still anger over the knowledge that the vampire and Bonnie had been seeing each other behind everyone's back.

Caroline decides not to point out that Jeremy's known for months that Bonnie was dead and hasn't lifted a finger. Nor does she point out that Bonnie is all Stefan's been focused on since he came back to Mystic Falls. She does however glare at him until he looks away and stops talking.

"I'm gonna go check on Stefan." Elena decides to break the tension in the room and begins to head to the living room only to be stopped by Caroline.

"I'll do it." Caroline volunteers knowing that despite deciding to move back to the boardinghouse, Stefan is still unenthusiastic about spending any significant amount of time with his former girlfriend or his brother.

-X-

"I can't believe you linked your life force with me, with a witch. Do you know how dangerous that can be for vampires?" Bonnie gasps as just what Stefan sacrificed finally registers. She remembers hearing about how dangerous that particular spell is, which is partly why no one ever really attempts it. The other reason is that most vampires would balk at being linked to a witch.

"You're worth the risk." He stares unblinkingly into her eyes. "I was willing to do whatever took to get you back no matter the sacrifice." He softly caresses her cheek. "I do have a question about this Jeremy situation though." He stops as he tries to figure out how to ask why she sacrificed her life for Jeremy's.

"I want you to know I wasn't trying to sacrifice myself." She blurts out as though she is reading his mind. She needs him to know and believe that. "I started the spell before Elena turned her humanity back on because I was hoping that it might help snap Elena out of it." She sighs as he slides closer to her on the couch. "That's what I was doing when Caroline called to tell me you and Damon managed to turn get it turned back on."

"So you really forgave her for what she did while her humanity was shut off?" He remembers Bonnie not being all that eager to let things slide between her and Elena.

"No I really was mad." Bonnie denies with a shake of her head. "But since I had already started the spell I knew I couldn't leave it unfinished. The only problem is something went wrong and I ended up overexerting myself. The next thing I know I'm staring at my lifeless body on the ground."

"You were acting so weird that day when we met up." He frowns as he remembers her subdued behavior when he pulled her aside before graduation. "You were already dead then." He realizes. "Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan holds his fingers underneath her chin to keep her gaze on him.

"Because I didn't want to believe it was really happening, that my life was really over, that I was leaving you. So I focused on getting the veil closed instead." As she says this a stray tear rolls down her face. Immediately Stefan uses his thumb to wipe away the tear. "When I finally got the strength to tell you, it was too late and I had to close the veil. I planned on sending you a message through Jeremy, but once the veil was closed I realized he could no longer see me."

"But he could see you the last time, why not now?"

"I guess because this isn't the first time he's been brought back to life. Magic doesn't always work out the way you want it to. I could be anything really." She shrugs and Stefan finds it so endearing that he hauls her onto his lap and presses his mouth to hers. The kiss immediately takes on a life of its own and the two begin to kiss heatedly, completely lost to anything but each other. They are only broken out of their haze when a familiar voice interrupts them.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Caroline exclaims the moment she makes it into the room and sees a woman straddling Stefan's lap while he plunders her mouth without a care in the world. "You can't come to Bonnie's funeral, but you can stay here to get lucky. So much for being in love with her."

"Caroline?" Bonnie pulls away from Stefan's mouth and turns her head toward the doorway.

"Bonnie?"Caroline's mouth drops open as what appears to be her previously dead best friend. "Is it really you?" She asks, hoping desperately that she's not seeing things.

"Yeah, it's me." Bonnie and climbs off Stefan's lap to embrace the blonde vampire.

The moment Bonnie climbs off his lap and rushes across the room, Stefan discreetly adjusts his erection. A small smile appears on his face as he watches the two friends reunite.

"I'm so happy you're back!" Caroline grins widely as she pulls Bonnie into a tight hug that Bonnie returns just as eagerly.

"So am I." She utters against Caroline's neck. "But little air would be nice." She grunts as Caroline's embrace becomes a little too tight.

"Sorry." Caroline smiles sheepishly as she loosens her grip on Bonnie.

"It's fine." Bonnie laughs.

"Thanks for letting us know she was back." She snaps sarcastically as she looks at Stefan who has gotten off the couch and made his way over to the two women.

"I'm sorry. I was planning on letting everyone know. I was just so happy and I got caught up." He smiles at Bonnie and the two get lost in a staring contest.

How the hell did I miss this? Caroline ponders to herself as she watches her two friends engage in a healthy session of eye sex. As good as they both can be at hiding their true emotions, she doubts they would have been able to hide the love she sees radiating from both of them. She really must have been caught up in her own issues for her not to pick up on this.

Bonnie and Stefan are broken out of their staring contest when they hear the voices of Elena and Jeremy as they enter the room. Bonnie smiles when the two siblings' eyes widen in shock when they notice her presence. Despite everything that has gone on, she really missed both of them.

"Oh my God!" Elena exclaims when she sees Bonnie standing next to Caroline and immediately pulls Bonnie into tight hug before pulling back to allow Jeremy greet her as well.

When Jeremy leans in to hug Bonnie, Caroline has to back her laughter as she hears Stefan's low growl. His jealousy however is for naught since Bonnie's attention is still completely focused on Stefan despite being locked in her ex-boyfriend's embrace and once again she wonders just how they both managed to hide their relationship for so long without her figuring it out.

After a while Bonnie pulls away only to roll her eyes when Jeremy shoots a glare at Stefan who glares right back. Caroline snickers under her breath, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Bonnie has two hot guys completely enamored with her.

"So I take it Stefan's plan worked?" Elena asks to break the tension between them before her brother does something stupid like attempt to attack Stefan. Based on the way he was talking about Stefan she knows it's a distinct possibility.

"Yeah." Bonnie nods before moving her gaze back to Stefan who makes a point of moving closer to her and grabbing her hand in his.

Slightly uncomfortable by the gesture, Elena looks away and pulls out her phone. "I should call Damon and tell him the good news. I'm so happy you're back" She smiles at Bonnie and leans in for another for a hug before turning to a frowning Jeremy. "You should come with me." She has a feeling that leaving Jeremy alone with the reunited couple would be a very bad idea. "

"But I was—" He starts to protest when she gives him a look that indicates he'd be wise to follow her. He sighs and reluctantly follows Elena out of the room to another part of the boardinghouse.

Caroline watches them go and before turning back to Bonnie who is now in Stefan's arms. "I'm gonna call Matt and meet up with Tyler…" She starts to explain until she realizes the two are barely listening to her. She smiles to herself as she also exits the room, leaving Bonnie and Stefan alone.

-X-

Stefan is proud of the fact that he and Bonnie manage to get to his bedroom without jumping each other. However once the door closes behind them all bets are off, their lips meet and they begin ripping at each other's clothes, eager to expose as much skin as possible.

The moment his shirt comes off, Bonnie lets her fingers trail across his pecs, smirking smugly when one his nipples hardens. Tired of only touching, she removes her hand and begins to nibble at his neck and chest until Stefan's eyes change and he quickly drags her mouth to his.

He kisses her breathless and she pulls back to suck in some air, he stares her unblinkingly as he pulls the rest of their clothes off before carrying her over to the bed. She lands with a slight bounce, Stefan hovering above her before he slowly thrusts inside of her.

She gasps as she feels immediate pleasure flow throughout her body. Stefan grunts as he gets lost to Unable to hold back, their initial slow pace grows frantic and before they know they are both lost in their climaxes.

When Stefan opens his eyes, he isn't surprised to see Bonnie's green eyes full of desire staring back at him. Pride fills him when he takes in her tousled hair and swollen lips, loving that he is the one responsible for it. Still there is a part of him that worries he may have been too rough. "Are you okay?"

"Words can't even describe how happy I am right now." A smile pulls to her face as she deliberately moves her hips against his and he hardens inside of her. "But I think that ended a little too soon for my liking. Wouldn't you agree?"

His nostrils flare and a wide grin appears on his face. "I agree."

The moment he nods his head, he finds himself on his back being thoroughly kissed by Bonnie. Her walls clench around him and they both groan into each other's mouths. He pouts slightly when she pulls away from his mouth and sits up slightly, bracing her hands on his chest. He grabs her hips as she shifts into a sitting position, both gasping as she moves up and down on him slowly.

Even though he doesn't technically need to breathe, Stefan still struggles to catch his breath because of how tempting Bonnie looks above him. His feels his arousal spike when he sees the fire in her eyes as she stares unblinkingly into his eyes. She thrusts down and moans as he moves his hands up her back. Her skin is soft to touch and he groans as well when he traces the curve of her spine before moving to cup her breasts.

Wanting to feel her lips against his, he sits up and captures her lips. He's surprised when she takes his bottom lip between her teeth starts to nip at it. He growls as their breaths mingle before slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Stefan wraps his hands around her hips, hoping that that will encourage her to speed up. She doesn't and instead throws him a smug smirk as she continues with her slow pace. No longer able to help himself, he tightens his hold on her hips and begins to move her up and down on him as her inner muscles clench him tighter with every thrust.

In response Bonnie gasps and loops her arms around his neck, wanting to be as close to him as possible. The more they move together, the closer Bonnie gets to her peak. Stefan knows she's right there when her nails dig into his back and incoherent words begin to leave her lips. Bonnie screams his name as she hits her peak, her walls clenching around him.

Nowhere near being done with her, Stefan quickly rolls Bonnie over so she's flat on her back. He stares passionately into her eyes, continuing to move inside of her, making her climax all the more intense. Unwilling to let her come down from her high completely, he buries his face in her breasts. He grins happily when she moans and spreads her legs, hoping he takes the hint to slide deeper inside of her. He does and soon the heat between them becomes almost unbearably hot. At one point Bonnie grabs his head and forces him to look at her, revealing the desire in her eyes. "I love you."

The combination of those words and the look in her eyes, are all it takes to push him over the edge. Within in seconds he's spreading her legs even wider and pushing hard and fast inside of her, intent on getting to his climax. He slams in and out of Bonnie several times, managing for a second time to send her over the edge with him. Once he's spent, he collapses on top of her, his body twitching in relief of finally being reunited with the woman he loves.

The moment he's finally coherent, it registers with him that he may be crushing her and he rolls them over so Bonnie is spread out on top of him. Once she's finally settled against him, she begins to run her fingers through his hair while she presses light kisses to his face and neck.

"We should get up." Stefan suggests half-heartedly as she starts to attack his neck with her mouth.

"Why?" Bonnie pulls from his neck to look him in the eyes. The last thing she wants to do is leave this bed.

"After months of being stuck on the other side I'm sure you want to be out in public where people can actually see you." Truth be told, Stefan would much rather stay in bed with Bonnie, but he's willing to give that up if it's what Bonnie wants to do. At least for now.

"Not really." She shakes her head. "I'm exactly where I want to be and that's with you in this bed."

"Anything you want." He smiles warmly at her.

Bonnie returns his smile before leaning down to kiss him.

* * *

**One Week Later**

Bonnie's mouth flies open in surprise when she feels her back hit the tiled wall of the shower. His mouth covers hers, preventing her from speaking and when Stefan lifts her up, she wraps her legs around his waist. He wastes no time pushing inside of her and soon they are moving together, the spray of water raining down on them making their movements slippery.

"Open your eyes." He whispers against her lips, grinning when she nods and their gazes lock. The heat in her green eyes causes his thrusts to quicken and soon Bonnie's nails are digging into his arms and shoulders. The slight pain turns him on and his hips begin to jerk unpredictably against hers. Bonnie groans happily as he proceeds to hit a spot deep inside her, causing a torrent of moisture to flow out of her body.

"Please don't stop." Bonnie pleads desperate to feel that sensation again as their hips continue to move together roughly.

"Never." Stefan growls before he presses his mouth to hers once again, his mouth moving in a similar way as his hips. As the kiss grows Stefan feels the sensation of his face changing and his fangs elongating. He pulls away, expecting her to be startled, but instead of looking away Bonnie's gaze becomes even more ardent.

Her acceptance of him is his undoing. Unable to hold back his desire for her, he begins slamming into her at unnaturally fast pace. Undaunted, Bonnie encourages him by pulling him tighter against her, delighting in the rough way he pumps inside of her. He moves within her again and again until Bonnie explodes, dragging him into his own intense orgasm. Their cries of pleasure fill the large bathroom, bouncing off the walls in harmony.

The moment they come down from their highs, Stefan carefully sets Bonnie down on her feet before wrapping her in his arms. He leans down and rests his forehead against hers, not the least bit concerned by the water from the shower raining down on them. When she presses a kiss to his mouth, his knees begin to tremble. A side effect from his most recent orgasm he imagines.

"Well this is interesting." A familiar voices breaks into their sexual haze. "The ripper and the witch going at in a shower of all places."

Stefan spins around abruptly and immediately stands in front of Bonnie to protect her from the intruder. He growls when he sees Katherine smirking at them through the glass shower stall. He'd been so focused on Bonnie that he hadn't heard a thing.

Katherine rolls her eyes when it becomes obvious he's protecting Bonnie's modesty since she can only see Bonnie from the neck up. She smiles happily however when she realizes his chivalrous move allows her to view his naked body through the stall. Her happiness is short-lived however, once Stefan catches on.

"No need to cover up. It's nothing I haven't already seen before." She laughs at Stefan's attempt to cover his lower appendage with his hands.

"How long have you been in here?" Bonnie glares at her from behind Stefan's shoulder. She hopes not too long because the thought of someone Stefan's slept with watching them is a bit too weird for her.

"Long enough to know that Stefan's obviously improved his technique." She purposely smirks at Bonnie, knowing the effect her words will have on the witch. Her grin widens when the witch's eyes darken in irritation.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan interrupts, knowing that Bonnie's annoyance rises with every second that passes.

"Don't worry I'm not here for you. I came to talk to her." She tilts her head in Bonnie's direction. "You think you can keep your hands off her long enough for that to happen?"

"Just get to the point." Bonnie growls impatiently, answering before Stefan has the chance.

"As you can see this whole human thing isn't really working out all that well for me. The way I see it you're my best bet to reverse what's happening to me." Katherine starts to explain some of the symptoms she's having due to being injected with the cure.

"If I say yes will you get the hell out of here?" Bonnie asks once Katherine's done explaining her situation.

"Maybe."

The two women stare each other down until Bonnie lets out a long sigh. "Fine, I'll see what I can do, but I'm not making any promises."

"That's all I can ask." Katherine nods before turning on her heels and sauntering out of the bathroom.

"I thought you didn't like her? Why are you helping her? Especially after everything that she's done." Stefan asks as he spins around to face Bonnie the moment the door shuts.

"I don't like her." Bonnie admits. "But she needs help and is it really fair to hold what she's done against her when I could really say the same thing for anyone in our group?"

"You have a point." He acknowledges with a nod. "Please just make sure you're careful. I wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost you again."

"I'll be careful." Bonnie agrees before she stands on her tip toes and pecks his lips.

-X-

A couple hours later, Bonnie finds herself back in Stefan's bed with his head between her legs, marveling at the amount of pleasure he's giving her. Stefan groans into her mound, his own arousal rising with each moan he coaxes from her.

"Knock, knock, knock." Caroline suddenly bursts into the room, shocking the occupants tangled in the bed.

"I knew we should have locked the door." Bonnie groans painfully, her body protesting the sudden loss of pleasure as she pulls the sheet up to cover her breasts.

"Why are you in my bedroom?" Stefan pops up from underneath the sheet and plops down next to Bonnie, the bottom half of his face slick with wetness.

Caroline gasps when it clicks just what he'd been doing under there. "Okay I get that you guys are in love and together after being apart for four months, but that doesn't mean you need to spend all your time in bed."

"Says the woman that has been holed up with Tyler for the last week." Bonnie throws her a knowing look.

"You may have a point." Caroline agrees sheepishly. The moment she left the boardinghouse after Bonnie was brought back, she and Tyler had been engaged in a little marathon of their own. "Anyway I tried calling, but someone's phone is off." She looks at Stefan who doesn't seem the least bit sorry.

"What could be so important that you felt the need to bust into my bedroom unannounced?" Stefan asks, wanting nothing more than to finish what he started with Bonnie.

"We are having a party tonight and you two need to get ready for it." She, Elena and Matt decided a couple of days ago to throw a party to celebrate Bonnie being back, but because the two have been joined at the hip since Bonnie's resurrection, they haven't gotten the chance to let either of them know. Until now.

"Don't even think about saying no." She stops their protests before they can even start. "You both are back for good and we need to celebrate that. So Elena and I will be stealing Bonnie for the next few hours so we can shop for dresses while we're doing that you and Matt go get the rest of the stuff we'll need for the party." She smiles at threateningly at Stefan, making it clear she won't be taking no for answer.

"Fine." Stefan mutters before he jumps out of the bed completely naked, shocking both women. They both look on as he heads toward the bathroom, obviously not the least bit self-conscious about his audience.

"Caroline." Bonnie gasps in shock when she looks at Caroline and realizes the vampire is blatantly admiring Stefan's naked form until closes the door behind him.

"What?" She shrugs unashamedly. "Stefan's hot and it's the only chance I'll get to see him in all his glory. No way was I gonna let that pass." She grins widely and Bonnie laughs in response. "You know I could always even the score and ask Tyler do drop his pants."

"No thanks, I'm good." Bonnie chuckles before she changes the subject back to the party. "I'll just get dressed."

"Okay." Caroline nods as she moves to the door. "I'll let Elena know the party is a go."

-X-

Several hours later, the party has ended and everyone has gone to sleep. At the moment the only people awake are Stefan and Bonnie who are cuddled on the couch, Bonnie resting her head against Stefan's chest.

"That was fun." Bonnie murmurs as she tightens her hold on Stefan.

"Yeah it was." Stefan agrees. He admits he hadn't been looking forward to the party initially but spending time with the others and celebrating with Bonnie had been fun.

When Bonnie yawns, it occurs to Stefan just how late it is and he decides that it's time for them to go to sleep. He sits up and carefully lifts her into his arms before speeding to his bedroom. He is just about to lay her down on the bed when he spots some kind of book on his bed. Wary, he sets Bonnie down on her feet and moves closer to the bed to investigate.

Bonnie sees it as well and is shocked when she realizes it's a grimoire, a very old one at that. When he sees the familiar family crest, Stefan realizes that it's from Qetsiyah. He picks it up and hands it to her.

She opens it and is surprised to find a note from Qetsiyah. Smiling softly, she hands the note to Stefan so he can read as well before sitting down on the bed and skimming through several pages.

In the meantime, Stefan takes a look at the note and he's surprised to find only three words:

**Use it wisely **

He smiles softly and takes sits down next to Bonnie, watching happily as she looks through the grimoire. He knows this will mean a lot of power for Bonnie and he can't think of anyone more deserving of it. He's just happy that he'll always be by her side to see it.


End file.
